System and method for providing group dividends

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for providing dividends to customers are disclosed. The system includes a database for storing data and a business logic processor for determining a dividend to provide to a customer. The stored data includes eligibility criteria for membership in one of a plurality of group dividend plans, data about customers assigned to the plans, and premium payments associated with the customers. The business logic processor receives eligibility data related to a customer&#39;s eligibility for assignment to a group dividend plan. The business logic processor uses the received data to identify a dividend group plan that a customer is eligible to join and assigns the customer to the identified plan. Finally, the business logic processor calculates a dividend to provide to the customer based on the assigned plan.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application61/385,014 filed on Sep. 21, 2010, the entirety of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Insurance companies currently offer various incentives to encourage acustomer to reduce risks covered under an insurance policy. Insurancecompanies also offer or partner with service providers that offervarious kinds of risk reduction or loss prevention programs, services,and/or technology to help customers to reduce risks or to preventlosses. This is because risk reduction and loss prevention is beneficialto both the insurance companies and their customers. One example of theincentives offered is an insurance premium discount, typicallydetermined based on insurance related data including historicalinsurance data of a customer. Another example of the incentives offeredis a dividend offered to customers at the end of an insurance term basedon the performance of the dividend group they belong to. For suchprograms, customers are typically assigned to dividend groups based onthe industries to which they belong.

The dividend option differs from premium discounts in important ways.First, the insurance premium discount is typically determined andapplied at the beginning of an insurance term, whereas the dividend isdetermined and applied at the end of an insurance term. Second,discounts are reflective of anticipated loss or risks to be incurred bya customer during the insurance term, whereas dividends are determinedbased on actual loss savings incurred by the customer. Third, discountsprovided to a customer are calculated based on the customer's own risk,whereas a dividend for a customer is determined based on informationabout a group of customers in the aggregate.

As mentioned above, customers are assigned to dividend groups based onthe industry that they belong to and not based on whether or not or howthe customers manage their risks or prevent losses. Thus, there exists aneed to invite a group of safety oriented entities or individualsseeking to form their own dividend group to share profits derived fromtheir prevented losses. Additionally, to more fairly reward customerswho are more safety oriented or proactive at loss prevention, thereexists a need for providing dividend plans to customers participating inloss prevention programs. There exists another need for determining anindividual dividend using a multi-tier approach so that customers withindifferent tiers of a group are provided with different amounts ofdividend. Finally, there exists a need for an automated system foradministering such dividend plans.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Systems and methods are disclosed herein for providing a dividend to aninsurance customer by an insurance company in relation to an insurancepolicy issued by the insurance company. The system includes a databaseand a business logic processor. The database stores data regarding aplurality of insurance group dividend plans, including, for each plan,eligibility criteria for membership in the plan. The database alsoincludes data about a group of customers assigned to the plan and thepremium payments and safety data associated with each of the assignedcustomers. The safety data may include loss prevention programperformance data, including, for example, data related to the output ofsensors monitoring property insured under the insurance policy, and/orloss prevention program participation data. The business logic processcan receive eligibility data related to a customer's eligibility forassignment to a group dividend plan. The business logic process canidentify a dividend group plan that a customer is eligible to join basedon the received data and the eligibility criteria stored in thedatabase. The business logic processor can assign the customer to theidentified dividend plan and then calculate a dividend to provide to thecustomer based on the assigned dividend.

In some embodiments, the business logic processor calculates thedividend by determining a dividend percentage to apply to a premiumpayment associated with the customer. The business logic computer canassign the customer to one of a plurality of tiers within the customer'sassigned group dividend plan. The business logic computer can receivethe monitored data, or summaries or extracts of such data, as well asother safety data that may be indicative of the performance of thecustomer in one or more loss prevention programs. The business logicprocessor can assign the customer to one of the plurality of tiers basedon the performance data. The safety data can also indicate theparticipation level of the customer in one or more loss preventionprograms. Accordingly, the business logic computer can assign thecustomer to the one of a plurality of tiers based on the participationlevel data.

In other embodiments, the business logic processor can also identify adividend percentage for the customer based on the tier to which thecustomer is assigned. The business logic processor can calculate theactual amount of dividend to provide to the customer by multiplying aneligible premium amount associated with the customer by the identifieddividend percentage. The business logic processor can determine thedividend percentage based on a loss ratio associated with the group thatcorresponds to the group dividend plan to which the customer isassigned. The loss ratio is substantially related to claims paid out byan insurance company divided by the premium payment paid by thecustomer.

For some dividend groups, the eligibility criteria for assignment to thegroups may require the customer to participate in a corresponding lossprevention program. For other dividend groups, the eligibility criteriafor assignment to the groups may require the customer to implement atelematics system as part of a loss prevention program. For certaindividend groups, the eligibility criteria of the groups require thecustomer to be a member of an affinity group.

According to another aspect, the invention relates to a computerizedmethod for carrying out the functionality described above. According toanother aspect, the invention relates to a non-transitory computerreadable medium storing computer executable instructions for causing acomputer processor to carry out the functionality described above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The methods and systems may be better understood from the followingillustrative description with reference to the following drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a client-server architectural model of a group dividend plandetermination system, according to an illustrative embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a business logic computer used in FIG. 1,according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a method of assigning a customer to a groupdividend plan, according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a graphical user interface, in this instance, aweb page, suitable for obtaining information relevant to assigning acustomer to a group dividend plan, according to an illustrativeembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a table illustrating loss prevention program groups andaffinity groups to which customers are assigned, according to anillustrative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a method of determining an amount of dividendto be provided to a customer participating in a group dividend plan,according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a table of tracking data related to a customer'sparticipation in a loss prevention program, according to an illustrativeembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a table illustrating tiers to which customers participating inan automobile telematics LPP group may be assigned and the criteriaassociated with each tier, according to an illustrative embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 9 is a diagram of a graphical user interface for displaying aparticipant's current loss prevention performance data and the tier towhich the participant is assigned, according to an illustrativeembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a diagram of another graphical user interface for depictingparticipant's dividend group performance score in two dividend groups inrelation to the average score of each group in which the participant isa member, according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a diagram of a further graphical user interface, in thisinstance, a web page 1100, for depicting the relative performance scoresof selected members of a dividend group as compared to the average scoreof the group, according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention;and

FIG. 12 is a diagram of a mobile device for executing an application forpresenting group dividend performance data, according to oneillustrative embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

To provide an overall understanding of the invention, certainillustrative embodiments will now be described, including systems andmethods for providing a group dividend plan and for determining anamount of dividend to provide to a customer. However, it will beunderstood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the systems andmethods described herein may be adapted and modified as is appropriatefor the application being addressed and that the systems and methodsdescribed herein may be employed in other suitable applications, andthat such other additions and modifications will not depart from thescope thereof.

FIG. 1 is a client-server architectural model of a group dividend plandetermination system 100, according to an illustrative embodiment of theinvention. The system 100 is an automated system for assigning customersof an insurance company to dividend groups based on data stored aboutthe customers and for determining a dividend to provide to each customerat the end of an insurance term. In certain implementations, to beeligible for such a dividend group, customers agree to participate in aloss prevention program, which is designed to help a customer reduce itsinsured risks. The system 100 as further described below can track, inreal-time, each customer's loss prevention program participation andperformance during the insurance term. The system 100 can also analyzeand depict the performance data of each customer of a dividend group sothat customers are aware of their current performance and can determineif their loss prevention practices should be adjusted to achieve desiredperformance improvements. At the end of an insurance term, the system100 invokes an appropriate application for determining a term-enddividend to provide to each participant based on the loss ratios anddata associated with the participant and with the overall group. A groupcan include either one or more participants. Groups with only a singleparticipant are especially useful for customers that have policiescovering a larger number of properties or a larger number of employees,e.g. fleets of vehicles with multiple drivers.

Architecturally, the system 100 includes an insurance company system 102and a service provider system 116. The insurance company system 102 andthe service provider system 116 can communicate with each other via theinternet 150. The insurance company system 102 includes a business logiccomputer 104, one or more application servers 106, load balancing proxyservers 108, a central database 112, and a receiver 114. Users, such asemployees, agents, or customers, can interact with the system 100 viaterminals connected to or remote from the insurance company system'sdata network. The terminals used for the insurance company's employeesor agents can be connected to the various servers and computers of theinsurance company system 102 via local network 110 or via the internet150.

The service provider system 116 provides monitoring services to acustomer. The service provider system 116 includes a data collectionserver 118 connected to a database 120 and a sensor data transceiver122. The provided monitoring service includes an array of existingmonitoring services and/or technologies, such as telematics monitoringservice, security monitoring service, and the like. The transceiver 122can receive sensor data directly from monitored property (e.g., vehicleor buildings) or individuals (e.g., vital statistics) and forward thedata to the data collection server 118. The data collection server 118provides the monitored data to the insurance company system 102.Alternatively, or additionally, the transceiver can provide themonitored data directly to the insurance company system 102 bycommunicating with the receiver 114 wirelessly or via a wiredconnection, or a combination of both. In another alternative, the datacollection server sends the insurance company system 102 a summary,extract, or analysis of the collected data as opposed to providing theraw data. The data can be provided for each individual property beingmonitored, or it may be aggregated by customer or group.

The service provider system 116 also includes a program tracker system124. The program tracker system 124 includes a tracking server 126 and adatabase 128 for storing tracked loss prevention program data includingloss prevention program performance and participation data. Variousdepictions of performance data are illustrated in FIGS. 9-12. It shouldbe noted that any servers mentioned above can be used to host one ormore applications including communication applications, businessintelligence applications, and/or any insurance related applications. Inparticular, the servers mentioned above include one or more web serversconfigured to output data to a web browser or other user interfaceapplications implemented on a user terminal for depicting variousprogress data of a dividend group and/or progress data of each member inthe dividend group. The various embodiments of user interfaces suitablefor depicting such data outputted by the web servers are described inrelation to FIGS. 4, and 9-11.

In operation, the insurance company system 102 receives data about thecustomer via the internet 150 or other communication medium. Theinsurance company system 102 can manage data received from multipleservice provider systems according to the standards and protocols ofexisting content management or content delivery platforms or systems,such as, without limitations, ColdFusion, IBM Lotus Web ContentManagement, SharePoint Server, or Jadu, or any other open source basedsystems. The application servers 106 of the insurance company system 102can also be configured to support various web services through which theservice provider system 116 can easily communicate with the insurancecompany system 102. The data exchange between the insurance companysystem 102 and other customers can utilize the existing push and pulltechnologies where the application servers 106 of the insurance companysystem 102 can act as both a server and client for pushing data to theservice provider system 116 and for pulling data from the serviceprovider system 116. The application servers 106 or other servers of theinsurance company system 102 can request to receive periodic data feedsof the tracking data. The communication between the receiver 114 and thetransceiver 122 of the service provider system 116 can follow variousknown communication protocols, such as TCP/IP. Alternatively, thereceiver 114 and transceiver 122 can communicate with each otherwirelessly, e.g., via cellular waves, wifi, or other protocols.

In some embodiments, the business logic computer 104 of the insurancecompany system 102 executes various applications, algorithms, orstatistical or predictive models designed to determine dividend groupsand tiers, and to calculate a dividend for a customer. In otherembodiments, the business logic computer 104 can invoke the appropriatealgorithms or models hosted by various servers, such as the applicationserver 106. As mentioned previously, the insurance company system 102determines a dividend group that a customer should belong to based ondata received about the customer. Data, such as criteria data, abouteach dividend group and/or the terms and conditions of theircorresponding dividend plans, is stored in the central database 112. Thecentral database 112 can also include loss experience data, premiumdata, and safety data (such as safety performance and programparticipation data) associated with a group of customers or individualcustomers. After a number insurance terms during which data aboutcustomers participating in a group dividend plan is collected, thebusiness logic computer 104 can fine tune criteria data associated withmembership in the various dividend groups and their respective tierdefinitions by utilizing various machine learning algorithms, such as aBayesian algorithm.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the business logic computer 104 used inFIG. 1 for determining a group dividend plan, according to anillustrative embodiment of the invention. The business logic computer104 comprises at least one central processing unit (CPU) 202, systemmemory 208, which includes at least one random access memory (RAM) 210and at least one read-only memory (ROM) 212, at least one networkinterface unit 204, an input/output controller 206, and one or more datastorage devices 214. All of these latter elements are in communicationwith the CPU 202 to facilitate the operation of the business logiccomputer 104. The business logic computer 104 may be configured in manydifferent ways. For example, the business logic computer 104 may be aconventional standalone computer or alternatively, the function ofbusiness logic computer 104 may be distributed across multiple computersystems and architectures. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, thebusiness logic computer 104 is linked, via network 150 or local network110 (also described in FIG. 1), to other servers or systems housed bythe insurance company system 102, such as the load balancing server 108,and the application servers 106.

The business logic computer 104 may be configured in a distributedarchitecture, wherein databases and processors are housed in separateunits or locations. The business logic computer 104 may also be seen asa server located either on site near the insurance company system 102,or it may be accessed remotely by the insurance company system 102. Somesuch units perform primary processing functions and contain at a minimuma general controller or a processor 202 and a system memory 208. In suchan embodiment, each of these units is attached via the network interfaceunit 204 to a communications hub or port (not shown) that serves as aprimary communication link with other servers, client or user computersand other related devices. The communications hub or port may haveminimal processing capability itself, serving primarily as acommunications router. A variety of communications protocols may be partof the system, including, but not limited to: Ethernet, SAP, SAS™, ATP,BLUETOOTH™, GSM and TCP/IP.

The CPU 202 comprises a processor, such as one or more conventionalmicroprocessors and one or more supplementary co-processors such as mathco-processors for offloading workload from the CPU 202. The CPU 202 isin communication with the network interface unit 204 and theinput/output controller 206, through which the CPU 202 communicates withother devices such as other servers, user terminals, or devices. Thenetwork interface unit 204 and/or the input/output controller 206 mayinclude multiple communication channels for simultaneous communicationwith, for example, other processors, servers or client terminals.Devices in communication with each other need not be continuallytransmitting to each other. On the contrary, such devices need onlytransmit to each other as necessary, may actually refrain fromexchanging data most of the time, and may require several steps to beperformed to establish a communication link between the devices.

The CPU 202 is also in communication with the data storage device 214.The data storage device 214 may comprise an appropriate combination ofmagnetic, optical and/or semiconductor memory, and may include, forexample, RAM, ROM, flash drive, an optical disc such as a compact discand/or a hard disk or drive. The CPU 202 and the data storage device 214each may be, for example, located entirely within a single computer orother computing device; or connected to each other by a communicationmedium, such as a USB port, serial port cable, a coaxial cable, anEthernet type cable, a telephone line, a radio frequency transceiver orother similar wireless or wired medium or combination of the foregoing.For example, the CPU 202 may be connected to the data storage device 214via the network interface unit 204.

The data storage device 214 may store, for example, (i) an operatingsystem 216 for the business logic computer 104; (ii) one or moreapplications 218 (e.g., computer program code and/or a computer programproduct) adapted to direct the CPU 202 in accordance with the presentinvention, and particularly in accordance with the processes describedin detail with regard to the CPU 202; and/or (iii) database(s) 220adapted to store information that may be utilized to store informationrequired by the program. In some embodiments, the database(s) 220includes a database storing an customer's information relevant todetermining the LPP group and group dividend plan that the customer isassigned to. The database(s) 220 can further include information aboutthe customer's insurance premium, premium discounts, insurancecompliance guidelines for one or more jurisdictions, policy provisionsfor one or more different types of insurance policies, claimsinformation, and/or prior records of the customer's property and thelike.

The operating system 216 and/or applications 218 may be stored, forexample, in a compressed, an uncompiled and/or an encrypted format, andmay include computer program code. The instructions of the program maybe read into a main memory of the processor from a computer-readablemedium other than the data storage device 214, such as from the ROM 212or from the RAM 210. While execution of sequences of instructions in theprogram causes the processor 202 to perform the process steps describedherein, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of, or in combinationwith, software instructions for implementation of the processes of thepresent invention. Thus, embodiments of the present invention are notlimited to any specific combination of hardware and software.

Suitable computer program code may be provided for performing numerousfunctions used to identify or calculate appropriate dividend groupassignments, tier assignments, and dividend values as described inrelation to FIGS. 5-7. The program also may include program elementssuch as an operating system, a database management system and “devicedrivers” that allow the processor to interface with computer peripheraldevices (e.g., a video display, a keyboard, a computer mouse, etc.) viathe input/output controller 206.

The term “computer-readable medium” as used herein refers to any mediumthat provides or participates in providing instructions to the processorof the computing device (or any other processor of a device describedherein) for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including butnot limited to, non-volatile media and volatile media. Non-volatilemedia include, for example, optical, magnetic, or opto-magnetic disks,such as memory. Volatile media include dynamic random access memory(DRAM), which typically constitutes the main memory. Common forms ofcomputer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexibledisk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM,DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any otherphysical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM orEEPROM (electronically erasable programmable read-only memory), aFLASH-EEPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other mediumfrom which a computer can read.

Various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying oneor more sequences of one or more instructions to the processor 202 (orany other processor of a device described herein) for execution. Forexample, the instructions may initially be borne on a magnetic disk of aremote computer (not shown). The remote computer can load theinstructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions over anEthernet connection, cable line, or even telephone line using a modem. Acommunications device local to a computing device (e.g., a server) canreceive the data on the respective communications line and place thedata on a system bus for the processor. The system bus carries the datato main memory, from which the processor retrieves and executes theinstructions. The instructions received by main memory may optionally bestored in memory either before or after execution by the processor. Inaddition, instructions may be received via a communication port aselectrical, electromagnetic or optical signals, which are exemplaryforms of wireless communications or data streams that carry varioustypes of information.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a method 300 of assigning a customer to agroup dividend plan according to an illustrative embodiment of theinvention. The method begins at step 302 by an insurance company system102 receiving data about a customer. The customer can be an existingcustomer or a potential customer. A portion of the received dataincludes information about a customer's participation or potentialparticipation in one or more loss prevention programs or membership orpotential membership in an affinity group. In some embodiments, theinsurance company system 102 receives data directly by providing a webapplication or tool to allow the customer or the customer's insuranceagent to provide the data. Alternatively, or additionally, the insurancecompany system 102 receives the data from a service provider system thatprovides telematics monitoring services, safety training programs,employee training programs, or the like to the customer. In someinstances, the insurance company system 102 can receive such data fromdata aggregators. For existing customers, the insurance company system102 may already store data about whether the customer is eligible for aparticular group dividend plan. In such cases, the insurance companysystem 102 identifies and requests any additional information about thecustomer needed to make a determination. After receiving the data, theinsurance company system 102 stores the received data in a database 304.

After storing the received data, the insurance company system 102analyzes the data to determine whether the customer participates in aloss prevention program at step 306. To do so, the insurance companysystem 102 accesses the database 112 to determine if the stored data ofa customer contains information sufficient to determine or verify thecustomer's participation. In one embodiment, if the customerparticipates in a loss prevention program, the insurance company system102 stores in the database 112 an indicator to indicate that thecustomer is eligible for a group dividend plan. If the participationinformation is not readily available, the insurance company canindirectly infer such information from aggregated data about thecustomer by applying linguistic analytics or text mining algorithms todata stored in the database 112. An example of a system for inferringinformation or knowledge from a knowledge base is an inference engine.An inference engine is particularly useful for computation-intensiveapplications, e.g., when the aggregated data is large in volume, andperiodic re-evaluation of data is desired. To verify the inferredinformation, the insurance prompts a customer with a list of questions,such as the questions illustrated in FIG. 2. If the insurance companysystem 102 is still unable to determine or verify the customer'sparticipation in the program, the insurance company system 102 candeliver a message or notification to the customer to request proof ofparticipation. It should be noted that a customer can participate inmultiple loss prevention programs aimed to reduce risks covered undermultiple insurance coverages of an insurance policy. For example, aconstruction or real estate development company may participate in botha telematics monitoring program and employee training programs toprevent losses associated with its auto insurance and workerscompensation insurance, respectively.

In one embodiment, if the insurance company system 102 determines thatthe customer does not participate in a loss prevention program, theinsurance company system 102 ends the determination process at step 320as the customer is not eligible for a group dividend plan. Once thisoccurs, the insurance company system 102 delivers a message ornotification to the customer seeking participation in a group dividendplan. The delivered message or notification may indicate to the customerthe denial of the request and/or detailed information as to why thecustomer's request to participate in the plan was denied. Such messagesor notification can be delivered via a web page, e-mail, fax or postalmail. If the notification is provided by webpage or email, thenotification can also include URL links to the various loss preventionprograms that the insurance company system 102 and/or service providersystems are offering. This way, the customer is given the opportunity toparticipate in a loss prevention program to become eligible for thegroup dividend plan option.

Alternatively, participation in a loss prevention program is notrequired to be eligible for group dividend. Some individuals may wish toform their own dividend group or request a customized dividend groupplan, the insurance company system 102 can create a new group dividendplan for the individuals at step 322. For example, the insurance companysystem 102 can offer an affinity group dividend plan related to personallines insurance to these individuals, because they are related to eachother in some way, e.g., they graduated from the same high school thesame year, are friends, live in proximity to each other, or have certaincommon interests or similar demographics, etc.

Through such an offering, an insurance company can leverage peerpressure to enforce or encourage participants in complying with theirloss prevention practices or improving their safety performance to tryto reach their loss prevention objectives or targets. For example, inone embodiment, the insurance company may host a school driving safetycompetition among high schools or colleges. Students at each school aregrouped into a dividend group with their class mates, and each highschool may be assigned its own loss prevention targets or goals. At theend of the school year, dividends are determined for each student basedon a comparison between their schools' performance relative to otherschools. The school demonstrating the highest safety performance or thehighest loss prevention program participation may be granted the highestdividend and/or some other reward, such a donation to the school or acharity in the name of the school.

During the insurance term, loss prevention participation or performanceresults of all the schools are tracked and compared to one another.Participants can electronically access their tracking data as well asothers' tracking data (e.g., their class mates and/or aggregate trackingdata from other competing schools) during the term. For example,tracking data can be pushed to mobile devices, e.g., via a proprietaryapplication downloaded to a smart phone, through which an individual canaccess tracking data on the go. An illustrative example of a userinterface implemented on a mobile device for depicting trackedcompliance data of dividend groups is described in relation to FIG. 11In other embodiments, tracking data can be depicted using an on-line,web-based progress tracker to indicate various performance orparticipation levels achieved, as described in relation to FIGS. 9-11.If a safety score can be calculated or determined for a given lossprevention program, the progress tracker can indicate the present scoreof each dividend group or school. The insurance company can additionallyplot each school's performance on a graph and such a graph can beupdated periodically or every time a participant requests to access suchinformation. The insurance company can also additionally plot eachstudent's performance on a graph and such a graph can be updatedperiodically or every time another student requests to access suchinformation. Providing peer information encourages participants toperform to a higher standard and to urge their peers to improve theirperformance, too.

Such a peer-to-peer encouragement model can be realized through the useof various kinds of technology. For example, the insurance company canallow each participant to share their on-going performance results withothers using a social media service, such as FACEBOOK. While the exampleprovided above is related specifically to an interscholasticcompetition, such peer to peer encouragement may be useful in anydividend group, though it has particular benefits in dividend groupsarranged by participant affinity.

After determining that the customer participates in a loss preventionprogram, the insurance company proceeds to determine if the customershould be assigned to an existing group dividend plan at step 308. Eachdividend plan has certain terms and conditions as specified by theinsurance company. The terms and conditions include information aboutthe eligibility criteria of the plan, or the group associated with theplan, and/or information about tiers that customers of a plan can beassigned to. For customers that do not request a customized dividendplan, such as most customers who are organizations, companies, orinstitutions seeking to insure their employees and properties, orassets, the insurance company assigns these customers to an existinggroup dividend plan at step 310. Assigning a plan is a two-step process.First, the insurance company identifies a dividend group to whichcustomers are to be assigned, as described in relation to FIG. 5.Second, the insurance company assigns customers to dividend plans basedon the dividend groups that the customers are assigned to. Theassignment of customers to groups is determined based on the datareceived about the customer. Dividend groups generally fall into twocategories: groups requiring participation in certain loss preventionprograms (referred to as “LPP groups”) and groups requiring membershipin an affinity group (referred to as “affinity groups”). Other groupsmay require both participation in certain loss prevention programs andmembership in an affinity group. Each group may be further broken downinto tiers, e.g., based on participation rates or actual programperformance data. Each dividend group has eligibility criteriaassociated with it, examples of which are illustrated in FIG. 5.Assigning customers to plans, or groups, allows the customers withsimilar risks, risk reduction practices, or dedication to receive theirfair shares of a group dividend calculated based on the overall riskreduction and/or performance achieved by customers belonging to the samedividend group, or plan. The plan defines the terms and conditions formembership in the group, tier criteria, as well as dividend allocationguidelines for the group.

At step 312, the insurance company determines a loss ratio for thedividend group that the customer is assigned to. The loss ratio is anindicator of how much profit an insurance company earns from a customeror, in this case, all the customers belonging to the same dividend groupduring an insurance term. It is calculated, in some instances, as theratio between the amount of claims paid out by the insurance company forthe customers and insurance premiums paid to the insurance company bythe customers, during the same insurance term for a particular insurancecoverage. In one embodiment, the insurance premiums used in the lossratio calculations are limited to a portion of the total premium paid.This portion is referred to as the eligible premium. In someembodiments, the eligible premium dose not take into account premiumdiscounts or allowances awarded to the customer. In some embodiments, aneligible premium is a fixed percentage of the actual premium paid by acustomer. The calculation of loss ratios can be made according tovarious existing known methods or algorithms and occurs at the end of aninsurance term, which is typically a year long in length. However,shorter insurance terms can be used without departing from the scope ofthe invention.

During an insurance term, the insurance company can also calculate lossratios of a group or an individual customer on a periodic basis, such asevery quarter, or every six months, etc. In such implementations, theinsurance company may inform the customers of the determined loss ratioson a periodic basis. Customers can use the loss ratio information toperiodically adjust its current loss prevention practices based onidentified areas of weaknesses.

At step 314, the insurance company determines the dividend to beprovided to each customer assigned to a group dividend plan based on theloss ratio of the entire group of customers and/or the tiers thecustomers are assigned to. The details of the dividend determinationprocess are described in relation to FIG. 6. In one embodiment, theamount of dividend to be provided to each customer is based on the groupdividend percentage of the entire group of customers belonging to thesame dividend group, which is indicative of the overall performanceachieved by the group. In some embodiments, individual dividendpercentage is determined based on the tier that the customer is assignedto, which is determined at the end of the insurance term. The insurancecompany can pay out the dividend in several ways. In some embodiments,the dividend is credited to the customers' account. The customers canapply the credit to a future premium. In some embodiments, the creditcan only be applied to insurance-company provided services. The detailsof an illustrative suitable system and method for administering suchpayments are further described in co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/254,215, the entirety of which is incorporated herein byreference.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a graphical user interface, in this instance, aweb page 400, suitable for obtaining relevant information about acustomer seeking to participate in a group dividend plan, according toan illustrative embodiment of the invention. The web page 400 includes aseries of questions, the answers to which are used by a business logiccomputer of the insurance company for identifying a group dividend plan,or group, to which a customer is assigned and for determining an amountof dividend to provide at the end of an insurance term (steps 306-314).Each customer can receive a web account through which the customer orthe customer's agent can provide the relevant information.Alternatively, or additionally, answers to some of the listed questionsare automatically populated by a business logic computer 104 of theinsurance company system 102 if the relevant data already exists in theinsurance company's database 112. In other embodiments, a serviceprovider system can also provide answers to some of the listedquestions.

In question 402 of web page 400, the customer is asked if it would liketo participate in a group dividend plan. The customer can select one oftwo options, 404 or 406, by clicking on their respective radio buttons.After selecting option 404, “Yes”, the customer is asked in question 408to identify the insurance coverage(s) for which it would like toparticipate in a loss prevention program. An insurance company typicallycreates for a customer an insurance policy containing multiple insurancecoverages. For example, a business seeking comprehensive insurance tocover its employees, property, activities, etc., may request workerscompensation coverage, employee health coverage, automobile coverage,group disability coverage, and general liability coverage. Individualsmay obtain property insurance auto insurance, life insurance, as well asother forms of personal lines insurance. A customer can implement orparticipate in multiple loss prevention programs, each of which isdesigned to reduce or prevent loss associated with each risk of aninsurance coverage. Options 410, 412, 414, and 416 allow the customer toselect multiple loss prevention programs targeted to reduce risks orprevent losses covered under multiple insurance coverages of aninsurance policy. A customer can choose a particular insurance coveragefor which it seeks to participate in a loss prevention program byclicking on the radio button placed under each answer option. It shouldbe noted that selection of one radio button is not mutually exclusive ofselection of the other. Participation in multiple loss preventionprograms can be used by the business logic computer 104 of the insurancecompany system 102 to determine which dividend group the customer shouldbelong.

If the customer selects option 416, “others,” the customer can enter thename of the insurance coverage or policy number into the input field450. The insurance company can use the policy number to retrieveinformation about the customer and its coverage from the insurancecompany's database. Alternatively, or additionally, a link is embeddedin the radio button of option 416 so that when the customer clicks onthe radio button under option 416, the customer is provided with alisting of all qualifying insurance coverages that the insurance companyoffers for which loss prevention programs and/or dividend plans areavailable. In some other embodiments, the URL link is embedded in thetext, “others”, of option 416.

In question 418, the customer is asked if he/she would like toparticipate in a recommended loss prevention program. If the customerselects option 420, “Yes,” the customer is presented with question 424.Otherwise, the customer is provided with a list of additional programs,services, or systems offered by the insurance company or a third partyservice provider. If the customer wants to create and implement its ownloss prevention program(s), the customer can submit information aboutits loss prevention program(s). The insurance company can route thecustomer to a different web page on which the customer can enter data orinformation relevant to the customer's loss prevention program(s).

If the customer selects option 420, “YES,” to participating in arecommended loss prevention program, the customer is asked to specify orselect which one of the existing recommended programs the customerwishes to participate in. Some illustrative options include vehiclemonitoring program 426, employee training program 428, and healthimprovement program 430, or the use of cognitive improvement programs ortools. The customer can access an entire list of recommended programsusing link 446 next to option 432, “others.” Each recommended lossprevention program option also has its associated link through which thecustomer can access additional information or a description about arecommended program. The link may be in the form of a question mark, asillustrated on web page 400. Alternatively, a link can be embedded inthe text or radio buttons associated with options 426, 428, 430, and432.

As the customer progressively completes the various questions containedon web page 400, the business logic computer 104 or a server can trackthe received data and update the database accordingly. If the customerselects vehicle monitoring at option 426, the insurance company requestspermission to receive telematics monitoring data in question 434. If thecustomer selects option 436, “Yes,” the insurance company system 102will then establish communication with a telematics service providersystem 116 to request additional information or data to allow theinsurance company system 102 to periodically receive sensor data aboutthe customer. For an example, the insurance company can automaticallyreceive data about each driver's driving behavior for a day, a month, ora longer period from a service provider that is providing the telematicsmonitoring services. The insurance company system 102 uses dataindicative of driving performance to determine the tiers to which thecustomers should be assigned at the end of the insurance term. If thecustomer selects option 438, “No,” the insurance company system 102 willnot receive any telematics sensor data about the customer and thedetermination of tiers for such a customer will, therefore, not be basedon telematics sensor data. After the customer selects “No”, theinsurance company system 102 can prompt the customer with a messageindicating that, by not providing telematics monitoring data, thecustomer may be assigned to a dividend plan designed for higher-riskcustomers.

Finally, the insurance company system 102 further requests the customerto provide data demonstrating satisfaction of loss prevention programrequirements in question 440. If the customer selects “Yes,” option 442,the insurance company system 102 will track the customer's performanceand will use the tracked data to identify a tier to which the customerwill be assigned at the end of the insurance term. As mentioned above,the tier to which a customer is assigned is used by the insurancecompany system 102 to determine, at least in part, a dividendpercentage, or the dividend, to provide to the customer at the end ofthe insurance term. Thus, customers are encouraged to achieve highperformance so they will be assigned to a tier with a high dividendpercentage. If the customer selects “No,” option 444, the customer mayonly be qualified for a limited amount of dividend or none. Theinsurance company system 102 can also inform or notify the customer ofsuch information.

In some embodiments, the customer may be provided with the option tochange its previous answer to questions 434 and 440 after receiving thenotification that their elections may result in a lower dividend.

FIG. 5 is a table illustrating loss prevention program groups andaffinity groups to which customers are assigned, according to anillustrative embodiment of the invention. Each group is listed theleft-most column of the table. The various criteria that might apply tothe groups is set forth in the remaining columns. An “x” in a columnrelated to a loss prevention program indicates that membership in thatgroup requires participation in that loss prevention program. An “x” ina column related to an affinity group indicates that membership in thatgroup requires membership in the affinity group.

More particularly, table 500 includes illustrative groups 1-7 and theirassociated criteria. For example, if the received data about a customerindicates that the customer implements or will implement an automobiletelematics system as part of the loss prevention program, the insurancecompany system 102 determines that the customer satisfies the criteriaassociated with group 1. Accordingly, the insurance company system 102assigns the customer to group 1. Similarly, if received data about acustomer indicates that the customer will implement a buildingtelematics system to monitor the insured building, the insurance companysystem 102 assigns the customer to group 2. As shown in FIG. 5, somegroups have criteria that are the combination of criteria associatedwith multiple groups. Customers satisfying criteria associated with themultiple groups are assigned to a single group, such as groups 4, 5, or7. For example, Group 4 requires a customer to implement both anautomobile telematics system and a building telematics system, which arecriteria required by groups 1 and 2. Accordingly, the customer isassigned to Group 4. As another example, customers who implement both anautomobile telematics system and safety training as part of the lossprevention program are assigned to group 5, as Group 5. There are alsodividend groups with criteria that are a combination of criteriaassociated with both an LPP group and an affinity group. As anillustrative example, customers who are friends and agree to participatein a personal fitness program and to implement health monitoring as partof their loss prevention programs are assigned to group 7. In analternative embodiment, if a customer qualifies for membership inmultiple groups, the customer may be provided additional informationabout the plan associated with each group they qualify for and is giventhe ability to select which group they are assigned to.

In some embodiments, a customer may participate in multiple dividendgroups. Their dividend can be determined, based on the performance ofeach of the dividend groups. For example, the premium paid by thecustomer may be split among the dividend groups for dividend calculationpurposes. The dividend for each group is then determined independentlyfor its respective premium portion. Alternatively, the insurance companysystem 102 may calculate a combined dividend.

The criteria are stored as rules in a database accessible by thebusiness logic computer 104 of the insurance company system 102 so thatwhen data about a customer is received, the received data can becompared with the rules to quickly identify which group the customershould be assigned to. It should be noted that information contained intable 500 is illustrative only and is stored in the database 112. Theinsurance company system 102 can obtain and use a variety of datapertinent to the determination of dividend groups. Such data can beobtained via web page 400 or other communication medium or datacollection means.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a method 600 of determining an amount ofdividend to be provided to a customer participating in a group dividendplan, according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. Thebusiness logic computer 106, or application servers 106 of the insurancecompany system 102, begins the method at step 602 by calculating theloss ratio of the entire dividend group and/or the loss ratios of allthe customers belonging to the group. In one embodiment the businesslogic computer 106 uses the loss ratio of the entire group to determinea dividend percentage for each member of the group. In anotherembodiment, the business logic computer 104 calculates individual lossratios of customers and uses the individual loss ratios to determine thetiers to which customers of a dividend group will be assigned. Each tieris then assigned a different dividend percentage for use in calculatingdividends for customers in that tier, either based on the group-wideloss ratio or a separately calculated tier-wide loss ratio.

The loss ratios are calculated according to various mathematicalformulas. As a simple example, the loss ratio may equal the ratiobetween the amount of claims paid out by the insurance company and theeligible premiums paid by the customers.

At step 604, the business logic computer 104 assigns customers to tiers.The tier assignment may be based on individual customer loss-ratios asdescribed above or based on each customer's tracking data indicative ofcustomers' safety performance and loss prevention efforts. In somecases, information about safety scores, such as driving scores, isdetermined by the telematics system. An illustrative suitable system fordetermining driver scores based on vehicle monitoring data is describedin co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/181,463, the entiretyof which is incorporated herein by reference. The business logiccomputer 104 can utilize such scores and/or any other data collectedfrom a telematics system when assigning customers to tiers. In thislatter case, to be assigned to a tier, the tracking data maintained fora customer needs to satisfy the criteria, or rules, associated with thetier. Illustrative tiers and their criteria are described further inrelation to FIG. 6B. Additionally, or alternatively, the business logiccomputer 104 determines tiers and assignment to tiers based on data orvarious factors used to determine the dividend group to which customersof the dividend group are assigned. For example, for dividend groupsassigned based purely on affinity group membership, tiers may beassigned based on participation in certain loss prevention programs, inconjunction with, or regardless of, participation or performance levels.

At step 606, the business logic computer 104 determines a dividendpercentage associated with a customer. In one embodiment, the businesslogic computer 104 calculates the dividend percentage of each customerby adding or subtracting an offset from a base group dividendpercentage. For example, in a 3-tier dividend group, customers assignedto a higher tier are given the base group dividend percentage plus anoffset, in the range, for example of 1-3%. Customers in the middle tiermay be given the base group dividend percentage. Customers assigned to alower tier are given the base group dividend percentage minus theoffset.

A dividend percentage is determined at least partially based on a lossratio. The business logic computer 104 can invoke an algorithm orprogram used to determine a dividend percentage based on a loss ratio.Alternatively, or additionally, the insurance company can access adatabase that stores a look-up table listing the loss ratios, or rangesof loss ratios, and their associated dividend percentages, or ranges.For example, for a 5% loss ratio of a dividend group, the correspondingbase dividend percentage may be 30%. As another example, for a 10% lossratio, the dividend percentage may be 20%. In general, the lower acustomer's, group's, or tier's loss ratio is, the higher the dividendpercentage and, therefore, the higher the amount of dividend will be.

In an alternative embodiment, the business logic computer 104 determinesa tier dividend percentage independently for each tier within a dividendgroup and provides the tier dividend percentage to all customersassigned to the tier. The tier dividend percentage may be determinedbased on the aggregate loss ratio the each customer assigned to thetier.

At step 608, the business logic computer 104 calculates the amount ofdividend for each customer. The amount is determined by multiplying thedividend percentage as determined at step 606 with the amount ofeligible premium paid by the customer. For example, assuming thedividend percentage for a customer is 20%, as determined based on thegroup dividend percentage and the tier that the customer belongs to, andthe amount of eligible premiums that the customer paid to the insurancecompany is $20,000, the customer will be given 20% of the $20,000, or$4,000, as a dividend.

FIG. 7 illustrates a table 700 of tracking data storing a customer'sparticipation in a loss prevention program, according to an illustrativeembodiment of the invention. As noted earlier, the group to which acustomer belongs may be determined in part based on satisfaction ofgroup criteria associated with each dividend group at the beginning ofan insurance term. In certain embodiments in which tier assignments arebased on actual customer safety performance or loss prevention programparticipation rates, to determine which tier a customer should beassigned to at the end of the insurance term, the insurance companyneeds to track the customer's participation levels and/or safetyperformance. The data can be tracked and stored periodically.Alternatively, or additionally, the summary of tracking data is providedto the insurance company at the end of the insurance term. The trackingdata can include sensor data (or summaries, abstracts, or analyses ofsuch sensor data) as collected by one or more service providers or theinsurance company, or the combination of the two. It should be notedthat the service providers and/or the insurance company can provide therecommended loss prevention programs, as described in relation to FIG.1, and, thus, both parties can collaboratively track data about thecustomer's participation in the program(s).

The table 700 illustrates tracking data for each month, such as column702 for Baseline Month 1, column 704 for Month 2, column 706 for Month3, and column 708 for Month 12. For each month, a variety of informationabout the customer's program participation progress is tracked. A reportincluding the tracked data can be generated by various known businessintelligence application systems, such as Crystal Reports, configured toallow insurance personnel to design and generate reports from a widerange of data sources. Crystal Reports, or the like, can typicallyaccess a variety of databases such as IBM DB2, Microsoft Access,Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, Postgre SQL, Interbase, and so on.

The tracking data in the report can include information about whethermanagers overseeing the participating employees have completed requisitesafety training classes. In one embodiment, safety training class may becompleted online, allowing participation data for the class to be easilytransmitted to the insurance company via the internet 150. Trainingclasses may also be offered in a live classroom setting. In suchsituations, participation data can be uploaded to or submitted via a webpage to the insurance company, or via other communication media.Similarly, in the case of a loss prevention program designed to improvedriving safety, tracking data can include information about whether thedrivers have completed their online or in-class drivers' education. Forsome loss prevention programs, the business logic computer 104 of theinsurance company can send a monthly report reflecting feedback on aparticipant's safety performance or driver education participationlevels to the driver and/or the driver's manager, etc. The generation ofreports can also be done by the service provider that is offering theloss prevention program. If the insurance company is providing the lossprevention program, the business logic computer 104 of the insurancecompany can automatically output a progress or summary report to eachdriver on a monthly or other regular basis. In addition, interim reportsmay be provided immediately upon detection of significant safetyconcerns or participation rate deficiencies or drop-offs.

Using the automobile safety program as an example, the tracking data canalso include information as to whether the telematics data is deliveredto the insurance company 402 for a particular month. Depending on theparticular content management system used, some telematics systemsrequire a system administrator to release or push data from thecustomer's server or terminal to the insurance company's server, orbusiness logic computer 104. For a system that has automatic delivery,the business logic computer of the insurance company may still verifythe receipt of such data on a regular basis in case of any deliveryfailure or errors.

In some cases, the safety training class or a portion of which can becompleted using a mobile device. The insurance company and/or a serviceprovider can provide a mobile device application of the safety trainingclass. The application can track and store the training class results orprogress locally in the mobile device or remotely in a cellular serviceprovider's database. The stored data can then be delivered to theinsurance company via a wired or wireless network.

Some loss prevention programs calculate a safety score indicative of thedriver's overall safety level for each customer on a regular basis, suchas every month. Thus, tracking data can include information about theaverage driver safety score, or other statistical measures related tothe score, e.g., the standard deviation. The average safety score and/orstandard deviation of safety scores of the customer can be used, aloneor in combination with other parameters, to determine a tier for thecustomer, as explained in relation to FIG. 8. The customer can useinformation about each individual employee, such the employee's drivingscore, to reward employees who have made the most improvement orachieved the highest safety score, fostering an environment where everyemployee is encouraged to be more safety conscious.

In certain embodiments, customers of the same dividend group can revieweach other's safety scores or summary reports to encourage each other toreduce risks or prevent losses. The group dividend plan structurepromotes such collaborative safety improvement efforts because theoverall performance of the entire group will determine, at leastpartially, the amount of dividend each participating customer willreceive at the end of the insurance term.

The customer, the insurance company system 102, and/or a serviceprovider system 116 uses the tracking data to help the customer toadjust current loss prevention practices to target areas of weakness. Asanother example, the tracking data also can include information aboutwhether employees have actually received the monthly reports of theirsafety improvement progress. This is important because periodicself-assessment is key to identifying areas of weakness that requirefurther improvement.

The service provider system 116 or the business logic computer 104 ofthe insurance company system 102 can determine if improvement goals setby the managers or trainers responsible for training the employees aremet. The business logic computer 104 can track data about the actuallevel of participation, or the actual percentage of employees thatparticipated in the loss prevention program, for every month. The actualpercentage of participation for a month can later be used to determinean overall participation level of the customer for the entire insuranceterm, which may be used in assignment of a tier. Customers with a lowerparticipation level, e.g., a low participation percentage, are assignedto a lower tier and are given a less dividend than customers with higherparticipation level.

FIG. 8 is a table 802 illustrating tiers to which customersparticipating in the automobile telematics LPP group may be assigned andthe criteria associated with each tier, according to an illustrativeembodiment of the invention. Each tier has its associated criteria setout besides it in a row of the table 800. In this illustrative example,the criteria include participation level, the average drivers score, andthe loss ratio(s) ranges. Customers whose tracked data indicates thesatisfactions of criteria associated with multiple tiers are assigned tohighest tier (the lowest number in the table) they qualify for.

The business logic computer 104 or application servers 106 of theinsurance company system 102 are configured to use tracked compliance orperformance data about each customer and/or each dividend group todetermine their appropriate tier. In this illustrative embodiment,customers who had less than 50% of their employees participate in theloss prevention program, whose average driver score is less than 50, orwhose loss ratio is less than 50% are assigned to the bottom tier, tier5. These customers are given the least amount of dividend percentage ascompared to dividend percentages to be provided to customers assigned totiers 1-4. In some embodiments, they may not qualify for any dividend atall. Alternatively, or additionally, customers with tracked data thatdoes not include information about the participation level or an averagedriver's score are also assigned to tier 5. To be assigned to tier 4,customers need to have a participation level over 50%, an averagedriver's score over 80 and a loss ratio less than 10%. To be assigned totier 3, customers need to have a participation level above 50%, anaverage drivers score greater than 50, and a loss ratio less than 5%. Tobe assigned to tier 2, customers need to have a participation levelabove 65%, an average drivers score greater than 70, and a loss ratioless than 5%. To be assigned to tier 1, customers need to have aparticipation level above 75%, an average drivers score greater than 80,and a loss ratio less than 5%. It should be noted that the tiers andtheir criteria are illustrative only. Other metrics, or criteria, can beused to create more granular tiers.

FIGS. 9-12 depict various interactive graphical user interfacesconfigured to allow dividend group participants to view theirperformance scores and/or progress and to encourage and/or compete withone another to improve their performances. FIG. 9 depicts one such aninterface, in this instance, a web page 900, for displaying aparticipant's current loss prevention performance data and the tier towhich the participant is assigned, according to an illustrativeembodiment of the invention. As described above, participants of groupdividend plans are assigned to tiers at the end of an insurance term.However, while a participant is participating in a dividend plan, thesystem 102 determines, in real-time, the tier that the participant isqualified for based on his/her current tracked performance, orcompliance, data. As described in relation to FIGS. 1 and 4, theinsurance company system 102 includes servers, such as a web server,that are capable of generating and delivering source code associatedwith various web pages, such as the web page 900, to a user terminal'sweb browser. A web browser implemented on a user's terminal can receivethe source code via various well known protocols, such as http, andrender the graphics and provide various web related features accordingto functions or programs as specified in the source code.

In this illustrative embodiment, after a user logs into his/her accountwith the insurance company, a performance tracker graphic 902(hereinafter “performance tracker”) is depicted on the web page 900. Theperformance tracker 902 includes a progress bar 904, the position ofwhich within the performance tracker 902 in relation to the varioustiers as labeled is indicative of a participant's assigned tier and lossprevention program progress. For example, in this instance, theparticipant is assigned to tier 4 based on his/her current performancedata.

In some embodiments, the performance tracker 902 is interactive. A usercan interact with the tracker 902 via various well-known input devices,such as a mouse, a trackball, a touch screen, a keyboard, and the like.For example, a participant can mouse over or click anywhere on theprogress bar 904 via a mouse to access additional details about his/hercurrent performance. Additional details may include a detailedbreak-down of the performance data used in determining the assignedtier, various criteria associated with each tier, e.g., see FIG. 8,suggestions for future improvements as determined based on the currentperformance data, performance data comparison between the participant'sdata and data of other members of the same dividend group, performancedata comparison between the participant's data and the averageperformance data of the entire group, e.g., FIGS. 10 and 11, and/or anyother meaningful depictions capable of characterizing the relativeand/or absolute performance of a participant and/or of a dividend group.

In some embodiments, in response to receiving a user request foradditional details about his/her performance data, the system 102retrieves tracked data about the participant from the database 112. Thebusiness logic computer 104 analyzes the retrieved tracking data todetermine areas of weakness, which can be used by the business logiccomputer 104 to determine suggestions for improvements. The businesslogic computer 104 can, for example, identify areas of weaknesses byidentifying certain criteria used in determining the performance scorein which the participant's performance data is below the group average.For example, the computer 104 may determine that the participant'sparticipation level is below the group average or that the participanttends to exhibit heavy braking when driving. Accordingly, the businesslogic computer 104 may determine that if the participant were to improveits level of participation by a certain amount or by improving his/herbraking behavior, the participant would qualify for the next tier, tier3. The application servers 106 or a web server of the system 102 deliverthe determined suggestions to the participant's web browser, which canthen depict the appropriate graphics and/or texts representative of suchimprovement suggestions.

FIG. 10 is a diagram of another graphical user interface, in this case,a web page 1000, for depicting participant's dividend group performancescore in two dividend groups in relation to the average score of eachgroup in which the participant is a member, according to an illustrativeembodiment of the invention. On the web page 1000, the system 102depicts two bar graphs 1002 and 1004 indicative of the participant'sperformance as compared to the average performance of both dividendgroups that the participant belongs to. The graph 1002, which isassociated with the participant's performance in dividend Group 1A,includes two bars. Bar 1006 is indicative of the performance score ofthe participant and Bar 1008 is indicative of the average performancescore of Group 1A. Numerical estimates of performance scores are alsodepicted on top of the bars 1006 and 1008. Similarly, the graph 1004 isassociated with John's performance in dividend Group 1B. The graph 1004includes bars 1010 and 1012, which are associated with the participant'sindividual performance score and the average performance score of Group1B, respectively.

In this illustrative embodiment, the participant lags behind the groupaverage in his performance in dividend Group 1A because he only achieveda score of 50 while the group average is 70. In response to seeing sucha difference between his performance score and the group average, theparticipant may decide to request detailed information about hisperformance data used for determining the performance score. To do so,the participant can mouse over or click on the bar 1006. In response toreceiving the mouse over or click, the appropriate script functions thatcorrespond to such a user interaction are called and a request is sentto the system 102 from the participant's web browser. Accordingly, thesystem 102 determines and outputs data corresponding to additionaldetails about his performance data, as described above in relation toFIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a diagram of a further graphical user interface, in thisinstance, a web page 1100, for depicting the relative performance scoresof selected members of a dividend group as compared to the average scoreof the group, according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention.Bar graphs are depicted on the web page 1100, where the height of eachbar graph corresponds to the performance score of a member of a dividendgroup. The dashed line across the center of the web page 1100 indicatesthe average performance score of the group.

In some embodiments, bar graphs of all members of a dividend group aredepicted on the web page 1100. In other embodiments, a participantselects members for whom performance scores may be depicted on the webpage 1100. The participant can request bar graphs corresponding toperformance scores of additional members to be depicted by clicking onthe option 1102. The participant can request additional details of thesemembers' performance, such as a break-down of their scores, by clickingon the “details” button 1104. The participant can also sort theperformance scores of the selected members by clicking on the “sort”option 1106. The system 102 can sort these performance scores in anincreasing or decreasing order and depict their associated bar graphs inthat order. If a vehicle telematics monitoring system is implemented aspart of the group dividend plan, the bar graphs as depicted on web page1100 may correspond to each driver's safety score.

Having such a sorting option as part of the peer tracking application isadvantageous as it provides participants, or users of the system 102, anintuitive depiction of their performance relative to other members'performance. Since the overall group performance at least partiallydetermines each participant's dividend at the end of the insurance term,it is valuable to have a feature that allows each member of a dividendgroup to monitor other members' performance and to encourage one anotherother to improve their individual performance, thereby contributing tothe overall improvement of the group score. Additionally, since theinsurance company may offer extra rewards, e.g., concert tickets, to thehighest-performing individuals in each dividend group, every member of adividend group is additionally enticed to improve their performances asdoing so would increase their chances of obtaining the rewards.

In some embodiments, the application servers 104 offers various mobiledevice applications that a participant can download into their mobiledevice for allowing participants to view their own performance data, theperformance data of other members of their dividend group (individuallyor collectively) and/or the performance data of other dividend groups.Reference is now made to FIG. 12, where such a mobile device 1200 isshown. As shown, the mobile device 1200 can launch (and operate underthe control of) one or more application programs by selecting an iconassociated with an application program. As depicted, the mobile device1200 has several primary application programs 1220 including a phoneapplication (launched by selecting icon 1222), an email program(launched by selecting icon 1224), a Web browser application (launchedby selecting icon 1226), and a media player application (launched byselecting icon 1228). Those skilled in the art will recognize thatmobile device 1200 may have a number of additional different icons andapplications, and that applications may be launched in other manners aswell. In the embodiment shown, an application, such as a dividend grouppeer tracking application 1230, is launched by the user tapping ortouching an icon displayed on the touch screen 1240 interface of themobile device 1200.

Once dividend group peer tracking application 1230 is launched, the usermay interact with dividend group peer tracking application 1230, andmobile device 1200 may function pursuant to the program instructionsassociated with the application. During operation, mobile device 1200 isin communication with remote systems including for example, an insurancecompany, a loss control administrator and/or other entity to allow auser to view and track the relative performance of the dividend groupvia one or more graphical depictions 1250. Graphical depictions 1250 mayprovide information indicating the relative performance of individualswithin a group or between two or more dividend groups. Group peertracking application 1230 may also provide the ability to messagedividend group members individually or as a group via messaging icon1260 in order to encourage or comment on another peer member'sperformance as indicated via graphical depiction 1250. Allowing a userto communicate with another user about his performance though themessaging functionality encourages participants to perform to a higherstandard. Communications may also be initiated via phone applicationicon 1222, email program icon 1224, and Web browser application icon1226.

The application can also be made available to individuals who are notcustomers or participants of a dividend plan to allow them to witnessthe on-going progress of current participants. This enables a supervisorto provide guidance and or encouragement to participants. For example,in the high school example, a high school staff member may be givenaccess to its students driving scores to customize driving safetyprograms and or to give individualized counseling to unsafe drivers.

In other embodiments, the insurance company can offer various incentivesto encourage more individuals to participate in a dividend plan. Forgroups that achieve the highest loss prevention program performance,they will be given additional rewards in the form of raffle tickets, ordonation to their favorite charity organization, and so on. For example,in the school competition scenario, in addition to members of thehighest performing school obtaining higher dividends, the insurancecompany may also donate resources to their school. To help attractpotential customers, the insurance company can offer a social networkservice or application to entities, such as schools, neighborhoodassociations, or a town, contingent upon these entities' participationin a group dividend plan for which the participants will need toimplement loss prevention measures to reduce their insured risks. Foreach dividend group, their associated social network can publish contentrelated to their and/or others' loss prevention performance.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. For example, whilethe embodiments described in relation to FIGS. 4, and 9-12 are describedprimarily in relation to web- or browser-based user interfaces, thesystems and methods described above can also be implemented inaccordance with other commonly known thin or thick client-server modelswith stand alone software installed on a customer's computing device.Therefore, the foregoing embodiments are to be considered in allrespects illustrative, rather than limiting of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system configured to provide a dividend to aninsurance customer by an insurance company in relation to an insurancepolicy issued by the insurance company, the system comprising: a datastorage device storing a database configured to store data regarding aplurality of insurance group dividend plans, including, with respect toeach plan, eligibility criteria to be a member of the plan, a group ofcustomers assigned to the plan, and premium payments and safety dataassociated with each customer of the group of customers assigned to theplan; and a business logic computer processor configured to: receiveeligibility data related to a customer's eligibility to be assigned to agroup dividend plan; identify a dividend group plan that a customer iseligible to join based on the received data and the eligibility criteriastored in the database; assign the customer to the identified dividendgroup plan; assign the customer to one of a plurality of tiers withinthe customer's assigned group dividend plan; identify a dividendpercentage of the customer based on the tier to which the customer isassigned, and calculate a dividend to provide to the customer based onthe dividend plan to which the customer is assigned and the safety datastored in the database related to the customer, and wherein calculatingthe dividend comprises multiplying an eligible premium amount associatedwith the customer by the identified dividend percentage.
 2. The systemof claim 1, wherein the business logic computer is further configuredto, while the customer is participating in the identified dividend groupplan: obtain a performance score for the customer, and output theobtained performance score of the customer to a graphical user interfaceassociated with the customer for depicting a graphical representation ofthe customer's current dividend plan performance.
 3. The system of claim2, wherein the business logic computer is further configured to: obtainperformance scores of other customers assigned to the identifieddividend plan; and output the obtained performance scores to thegraphical user interface associated with the customer for depicting agraphical representation of the customer's performance score in relationto other customers' performance scores.
 4. The system of claim 2,wherein the depicted graphical representation is indicative of thecustomer's performance score relative to an average performance score ofmultiple customers assigned to a dividend group plan.
 5. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the performance score is a driver's safety scoreindicative of the customer's driving safety, and the driver's safetyscore is associated with a driving monitoring system implemented as partof the participation in the dividend group plan.
 6. The system of claim1, wherein the safety data comprises data related to the output ofsensors monitoring property covered by the insurance policy, the safetydata being indicative of the performance of the customer in one or moreloss prevention programs; and wherein the business logic processorassigns the customer to the one of a plurality of tiers based on theperformance data.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the safety datacomprises data indicative of a participation level of the customer in aprevention program, and wherein the business logic processor assigns thecustomer to the one of a plurality of tiers based on the participationlevel data.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the business logicprocessor is configured to calculate the dividend based on a loss ratioassociated with the group that corresponds to the group dividend plan towhich the customer is assigned.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein theeligibility criteria for membership in at least one group dividend planrequires a customer to participate in a corresponding loss preventionprogram.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the eligibility criteria formembership in at least one group dividend plan requires a customer toimplement a telematics system as part of a loss prevention program. 11.The system of claim 1, wherein the eligibility criteria for membershipin at least one group dividend plan requires membership in an affinitygroup.
 12. A computerized method of providing a dividend to an insurancecustomer by an insurance company in relation to an insurance policyissued by the insurance company, the method comprising: storing data ina database regarding a plurality of insurance group dividend plans,including, each plan, eligibility criteria to be a member of the plan, agroup of customers assigned to the plan, and premium payments and safetydata associated with each customer of the group of customers assigned tothe plan; receiving by a computer eligibility data related to acustomer's eligibility to be assigned to a group dividend plan;identifying by the computer a dividend group plan that a customer iseligible to join based on the received data and the eligibility criteriastored in the database; assigning by the computer the customer to theidentified dividend group plan; assigning the customer to one of aplurality of tiers within the customer's assigned group dividend plan;identifying a dividend percentage of the customer based on the tier towhich the customer is assigned; and calculating by the computer adividend to provide to the customer based on the dividend plan to whichthe customer is assigned and the safety data stored in the databaserelated to the customer, and wherein calculating the dividend comprisesmultiplying an eligible premium amount associated with the customer bythe identified dividend percentage.
 13. The computerized method of claim12, further comprising: while the customer is participating in theidentified dividend group plan, obtaining by the computer a performancescore for the customer; and outputting by the computer the obtainedperformance score of the customer to a graphical user interfaceassociated with the customer for depicting a graphical representation ofthe customer's current dividend plan performance.
 14. The computerizedmethod of claim 13, further comprising: obtaining by the computerperformance scores of other customers assigned to the identifieddividend plan; and outputting by the computer the obtained performancescores to the graphical user interface associated with the customer fordepicting a graphical representation of the customer's performance scorein relation to other customers' performance scores.
 15. The computerizedmethod of claim 13, wherein the depicted graphical representation isindicative of the customer's performance score relative to an averageperformance score of multiple customers assigned to a dividend groupplan.
 16. The computerized method of claim 13, wherein the performancescore is a driver's safety score indicative of the customer's drivingsafety, and the driver's safety score is associated with a drivingmonitoring system implemented as part of the participation in thedividend group plan.
 17. The computerized method of claim 12, whereinthe safety data comprises data related to the output of sensorsmonitoring property covered by the insurance policy, the safety databeing indicative of the performance of the customer in one or more lossprevention programs; and wherein the method further comprises assigningby the computer the customer to the one of a plurality of tiers based onthe performance data.
 18. The computerized method of claim 12, whereinthe safety data comprises data indicative of a participation level ofthe customer in a prevention program, and wherein the method furthercomprises assigning by the computer the customer to the one of aplurality of tiers based on the participation level data.
 19. Anon-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executableinstructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processorto carry out a method comprising: storing in a database data regarding aplurality of insurance group dividend plans, including, with respect toeach plan, eligibility criteria to be a member of the plan, a group ofcustomers assigned to the plan, and premium payments and safety dataassociated with each customer of the group of customers assigned to theplan; receiving eligibility data related to a customer's eligibility tobe assigned to a group dividend plan; identifying a dividend group planthat a customer is eligible to join based on the received data and theeligibility criteria stored in the database; assigning the customer tothe identified dividend group plan; assigning the customer to one of aplurality of tiers within the customer's assigned group dividend plan;identifying a dividend percentage of the customer based on the tier towhich the customer is assigned; and calculating a dividend to provide tothe customer based on the dividend plan to which the customer isassigned and the safety data stored in the database related to thecustomer, and wherein calculating the dividend comprises multiplying aneligible premium amount associated with the customer by the identifieddividend percentage.
 20. The non-transitory computer readable medium ofclaim 19, wherein the method further comprises: while the customer isparticipating in the identified dividend group plan, obtaining aperformance score for the customer; and outputting the obtainedperformance score of the customer to a graphical user interfaceassociated with the customer for depicting a graphical representation ofthe customer's current dividend plan performance.
 21. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the method furthercomprises: obtaining performance scores of other customers assigned tothe identified dividend plan; and outputting the obtained performancescores to the graphical user interface associated with the customer fordepicting a graphical representation of the customer's performance scorein relation to other customers' performance scores.
 22. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein thedepicted graphical representation is indicative of the customer'sperformance score relative to an average performance score of multiplecustomers assigned to a dividend group plan.
 23. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the performance score is adriver's safety score indicative of the customer's driving safety, andthe driver's safety score is associated with a driving monitoring systemimplemented as part of the participation in the dividend group plan. 24.The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein thesafety data comprises data indicative of a participation level of thecustomer in a prevention program, and wherein the method furthercomprises assigning the customer to the one of a plurality of tiersbased on the participation level data.
 25. The non-transitory computerreadable medium of claim 19, wherein the safety data comprises datarelated to the output of sensors monitoring property covered by theinsurance policy, the safety data being indicative of the performance ofthe customer in one or more loss prevention programs; and wherein themethod further comprises assigning the customer to the one of aplurality of tiers based on the performance data.